BABY FOOD CHART 6-12 MONTHS

Introduction to BABY FOOD CHART 6-12 MONTHS from solids begin the process of weaning. Generally this can be a very anxious time for parents, especially mums. Not just physically, you may emotionally also be affected by the onset of weaning. Weaning a breast fed baby can cause an emotional trauma at times to you as a mum. But you must understand and remember that as your baby grows so do her requirements for food and nutrition. These requirements can no longer be met by just breast milk or formula feed. You can also read : Benefits of millet bajra Foods that increase breast milk production Benefits of breast feeding

Why is weaning essential?

Weaning is a process whereby your baby’s growth and food requirements are no longer met by just formula or breast milk. It is a stage where baby no longer depends on you as her sole nurturer in terms of food. She will need you all through her growing years and beyond but as her body grows so does her need for food. Her digestive system begins to develop, she may have growth spurts, she starts developing teeth and she gets physically more active and agile too. Also introducing new foods and flavors add a new dimension to baby’s eating pattern. Her taste buds begin to develop and she is less likely to be a fussy eater as she gets older. Babies are also open to the idea of food experimentation, thereby making it easy for you mum to introduce variety in food early on that will stay on with her well into adulthood.

Baby’s diet through 6-8 months:

By the time your baby turns 6 months old she is probably sitting upright unsupported or is almost learning to do so. Some kids begin to make strides at exploring their surroundings and try to crawl or cruise on their tummy to move around the room. Baby also may begin to show signs of teething and you can expect to see little white pearls beginning to appear in her tiny mouth. All these external changes and physical movements necessitate an increase in baby’s appetite. Besides milk it becomes imperative to introduce food too into her daily diet. Since baby’s digestive system is still developing, you need to introduce baby to semi- solid soft food that is easily digestible and well processed by her little tummy.

Tips while feeding baby: 

• Always keep all feeding supplies handy such as bibs, wet wipes/napkins, feeding utensils and spoons etc. even before you begin to feed baby
• Always harness baby if you seat her upright in a high chair/baby feeding chair
• Never leave baby unattended in between a feed
• Do not force baby to eat if she is averse to the food being offered
• Even as you introduce solids, remember that milk still remains a staple part of her diet for the better part of the first year of her life
• If you think baby is allergic to any food being offered discontinue immediately and seek medical intervention too

BABY FOOD CHART 6-12 MONTHS

Baby’s food chart at 6-8 months may comprise of the following:

• Breast milk or formula
• Fruit purees and now you may also mix two fruits to make purees and bring about a change in taste. Fruits such as apples, banana, peaches, plum, pear, mango, papaya, watermelon are good for baby. You may even feed home- made pomegranate juice to baby
• Vegetable purees can be fed, however ensure that vegetables are thoroughly washed, well cooked until tender and well mashed to a semi solid consistency
• Grains such as sooji can be introduced in several forms such as dosa, idli, upma, halwa etc. Babies generally like the taste of sooji offered in different forms
• Vegetable soups and soups made out of pulses
• Home- made cottage cheese and tofu, though limit the quantity being offered
• Small quantities of unsweetened curd, this is especially good during the summer months
• Lightly sweetened halwa made from wheat flour
• Lightly sweetened oats kheer with fruits

Ensure to keep both salt and sugar intake to a minimum while making food for baby.

Baby’s diet through 8 to 9 months:

By the time baby gets 9 months old, she is generally crawling and making efforts to stand up by holding on to objects such as furniture. She is gaining cruise control and is getting physically more active than ever before. This change reflects in her diet too.

Tips while feeding baby:

Baby will want to move around and explore her home and may think of food as an obstruction or waste of time. Mums need to note that they should make it a habit to fix a place for meals and also get baby to sit in that place when it’s time to eat. Create a peaceful atmosphere around feed time and refrain from making it a theatrical performance each time you need to feed baby. This will get baby to understand that food is a regular part of her day and she needs to sit down and eat like the rest of the family. Try and fix her high chair at the dining table with all other family members. Also baby may treat food as an object of play and may throw around and create a huge mess. Try and let her self- feed a part of her food. This will help her develop her motor skills and also pincer grip. The table below can serve as a suggested feed chart for baby. Do however seek your doctor’s advice and proceed accordingly while feeding baby:

Time	What to feed
5 A.M.	Breast Milk/Formula  whatever you feed baby with (and generally baby goes back to sleep at this hour after a feed)
7 A.M.	Breast Milk/Formula-generally babies play for a while at this hour especially if you have older children and then take a small nap again
9 A.M.	You may serve fruit/vegetable purees that are slightly thicker in consistency. When you start a new fruit/ vegetable start with feeding 1 tea spoon a day and gradually go up if its easily digestible by baby
10.30 AM.	After a massage and bath, babies are generally sleepy by this time; you should give them breast milk/formula feed. Baby can be fed through a bottle/or by any other means that you are using
1 P.M.	You may give baby pureed or strained vegetables with a thicker consistency. If meat is introduced  serve pureed meat at this time
3 PM.	Baby wakes up after nap and if you are looking at cutting back a milk feed, then you may serve pureed tofu/ unsweetened yogurt too at this time of the day
5 PM.	You may either give breastmilk/formula or soups or any iron fortified cereal. After the feed you may also hand over finger foods/baby friendly snack to help develop baby’s gross motor skills and self –feeding ability
7.30 P.M	You may offer grains such as sooji/oats/ragi/pulses/home-made cottage cheese/two grain foods such as khicadi, dalia etc. Try to offer a thicker consistency of foods than before as baby may be able to chew and digest better at this age
9 PM.	This should be a milk feed. If you have started to give formula, then prefer giving her formula so that she stays full for longer and you may also get a few hours of sleep at a stretch. Generally by this age babies are able to sleep better in the night and for a few hours tooat a stretch. However continue night-time feeds on demand unless otherwise instructed by the doctor

BABY FOOD CHART 6-12 MONTHS

8 month baby food chart may comprise of the following:

Add variety to your baby’s food. She may no longer like food bland or plain. So try and mix two foods to create new flavours that add freshness to an 8 month baby food chart. Experiment with seasonal fruits and vegetables and proceed as per your baby’s acceptance of the same.

• Breast milk or formula feed
• Fruits cut into small pieces rather than purees however make sure they are soft and possess no risk of choking and also keep an eye on baby when she eats fruits, ensuring that she does not choke or put it into her nose/ear
• Vegetables cooked and mashed or even cut to small soft pieces.
• You may introduce egg after consulting the same with your doctor
• Protein rich foods such as tofu, cheese and cottage cheese (Home-made)
• Various flours such as wheat, kuttu, rajgira, til, ragi, rice, oats etc. can be introduced in a form that is easily chewable and digestible such as khicadi, dalia etc.

Baby’s diet through 10 to 12 months:

As baby gets to her first birthday you will find her to have grown so much from the day she was born. Her food habits will also begin to form well and her likes and dislikes will become more evident and apparent. She may be willing to try out different foods and get more experimental with her choices.

Tips while feeding baby:

As a mother your job at making meals will begin to get easier. As baby’s digestive organs develop and she grows teeth, her biting and swallowing will improve too. There may no longer be a need to make purees or mash up regular home-food. Doctors suggest that babies must be eating out of the family pot as they turn a year old. You will have to however ensure that spices are either not added or kept to a minimum and introduced in phases. It is also significant that you give her a variety of food and not just those are liked by her. This will give you a chance at getting her to eat all kinds of foods.

BABY FOOD CHART 6-12 MONTHS

Baby’s food chart at 10-12 months may comprise of the following:

• Breast milk or formula feed
• Fruits such as banana, kiwi, pear, apple, papaya, melon, plum, litchi, mango, grapes etc.
• Vegetables such as potato, carrots, spinach, capsicum, cauliflower, peas, beans etc.
• All kinds of pulses and lentils
• Dairy products such as cheese, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese etc.
• Egg and non-veg in consultation with the doctor
• All kinds of cereals and grains such as wheat, rice, ragi, kuttu, aots, bajra, jowar, rajgira, pasta etc.
• You may introduce her to roti mashed in milk or dal, stuffed parathas, make khicadi, dalia, dosa, idli and uttapam

Let your baby guide you and take you through her journey of food. Give her healthy, nutritious food and seek your Pediatrician’s and elder’s advice when in doubt. All babies learn to eat, some sooner some later, so refrain from making comparisons between babies and enjoy parenthood. She’ll grow up even before you can guess! The table below can serve as a suggested feed chart for baby. Do however seek your doctor’s advice and proceed accordingly while feeding baby:

Time	What to feed
6 A.M.	Breast Milk/Formula  whatever you feed baby with (and generally baby goes back to sleep at this hour after a feed)
8 A.M.	Babies are able to chew and swallow better at this age. They generally start growing teeth and no longer push the food out of their mouth with their tongue You may now offer foods in thicker consistency such as soft stuffed parathas, whole wheat breads with butter/home- made cream, dosa/idli/uttapam, egg etc.
10 A.M.	Offer breast milk/formula to babies after a massage and bath, when they are ready to go to sleep
12.30 P.M.	You may serve lunch in the form of dal and rice/curd rice/mashed roti with milk/roti mashed with dal. You can also start giving lightly sautéed/ boiled small vegetable pieces during this time. In summers unsweetened yogurt can be a part of the meal too. You may also give non-veg foods at this time
2 P.M.	Baby may want to have milk before her nap. If she is drinking out of a feeding bottle this may be a good time to introduce her to sippy cups
4.30 P.M.	You may give her fruits at this hour. Make sure the fruit is cut into small pieces and is ripe and not sour.
6 PM.	You may give iron – fortified cereal/ pureed lentils/finger foods
8 PM.	As baby gets close to her first birthday the aim should be to let her eat out of the family pot. Start offering food that the family eats in a consistency that is easily digestible by baby. You may also give her khicadi/ dalia/oats with vegetables
10 P.M.	Breast milk/formula. You may introduce cow’s milk after baby turns a year old. Most babies can sleep through the night at this age; however feed them milk if they have difficulty going back to sleep in the night.

Let your baby guide you and take you through her journey of food. Give her healthy, nutritious food and seek your Pediatrician’s and elder’s advice when in doubt. All babies learn to eat, some sooner some later, so refrain from making comparisons between babies and enjoy parenthood. She’ll grow up even before you can guess! Also an important point to remember is that any food besides milk that is introduced during the 1^st year is only a supplement and milk forms the core of baby’s diet during her first year. So mums must actively breastfeed babies during this time. The first year of a baby’s life is to explore and introduce new tastes besides milk and do remember that as baby grows her tastes and food preferences will keep evolving and changing. Generally babies must triple their birth weight at the end of their first year and then you can be sure that baby is doing well in terms of her growth and nutrition. What must and must not form part of your baby’s food intake is to be solely discussed and finalized by your child’s Pediatrician. And food suggestions made in the article are to be taken as suggestions only and given to baby in consultation with the baby’s Pediatrician.